Didn’t Wesley go to some special testing that had the geniuses competing for one specific seat. I recall he basically went there because there happened to be a particular available slot rather than just the general admission.

From the episode:

Captain’s log, stardate 41416.2. We’re orbiting Relva Seven, where Wesley Crusher is about to be tested for entrance into Starfleet Academy.

CHANG: I’m proud of all of you. You’ve done a superb job. Each of you would make a fine Starfleet officer. It’s unfair that only one candidate from Relva will attend the Academy this year, and a loss to the Federation if the rest of you do not return to test again. Mister Mordock will be the candidate. His results were slightly higher than Mister Crusher’s. Congratulations, Mister Mordock. You’re the first Benzite in Starfleet.

So I think it has much more to do with the timing of his attempt that mattered. Had he just waited with everyone else it wouldn’t have been such an intense competition

I think they made up some bull about making him less human than Lore when he turned bad.

Can you think of any other way that seems likely?

They hand waved away the holodeck power thing in Voyager by days something along the lines of it is a different type of power that wasn’t worth trying to convert to normal power for some reason. Basically just another Voyager excuse to ignore the premises of the show unless they happen to be bored that day.

I am 39 years old and my egg just cracked. I can’t imagine how it must feel being stuck but there is lots of time left for you to get where you are going. Keep going strong, it gets better I swear.

They are rebel military governors of a station that seceded from the earth government. The media in question is a part of a propaganda wing of an anti-democratic authoritarian government they are under blockade and misinformation campaign from.

By no means are they saints nor are they anything but military governors at this point. But in their defense the station was a military installation and they later go on to form a democratic government and cede control of the station back to it. So it’s definitely a show that has a stand up to those giving immoral and illegal orders vibe. Not saints, definitely military and wield it heavily sometimes. But overall the message is one of following the democratic process and respecting the freedom of the press.

The rest of the episode is centered around Sheridan allowing the freedom of the press and then getting burned in the end by the propaganda machine twisting everything that is said an seen to their own advantage. But still ends on the note that they were right to open up and right to believe in continuing to be open.

I think in the third case the symbiont wouldn’t be in Sto’Vo’Kor. It didn’t die. So a Jadzia returning would be without Dax. So then the question would be would she return with the Dax memories or not.